The present invention relates to windups in general and to automatic reel change in a windup in particular.
A windup is used with a calender or other paper handling equipment. Paper is unwound and passed through a calender, coater or other paper handling equipment and wound on to empty spools. In a process such as calendering, it is most cost effective if the winding of paper onto the reels is as automatic as possible. Automation reduces labor, increases productivity of the machinery used, and increases safety.
After leaving the last lead-out roll in a calender or other paper converting equipment, the paper web is threaded through a rider roll assembly. The rider roll assembly typically includes a pivoting arm, a lead-in roll, and a rider roll. Auto splicing components and a traversing knife, as well as a nip guard may also be mounted to the pivoting arm. The rider roll engages a reel being formed about a spool which is held in a windup stand.
Stiff paper webs can present difficulties in reliably directing a paper tail around the new spool in a windup. This is particularly true if a nip guard requires the web to be threaded into a narrow gap between the nip guard and the new spool. What is needed is an automatic device which can thread a web of paper or other sheet material, particularly board or stiff paper, reliably and in the presence of a nip guard.